Eve Of War
by Miss-Inquisitive-Sci-fi
Summary: The Doctor has been running all his life, but now a dark force is beginning to steer him towards his final destiny. He will soon find out that running may not be an option for much longer; not when the last great time war is beckoning. Short story set during the early days of the time war.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N -** **This is my first venture into doctor who fanfiction, the new big finish war series inspired this little story. As the title suggests this takes place towards the start of the time war and follows the 8th Doctor.**

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An ancient building towered proudly beneath a sunset crimson sky encompassed by white-peaked mountains; existing in the centre of chaos. In the ancient corridors everything was motionless, silence reigned supreme. Suddenly a harsh wheezing sound echoed followed by a boisterous commotion; however the new sounds were immediately overtaken by a set of booming explosions starting distantly but growing closer by the second. Each crash was accompanied by a slight tremor running through the walls and shaking them faintly; as if they were under bombardment.

The eerie rumblings were drowned out slowly and footsteps echoed throughout the ancient corridors; militaristic marching grew louder and louder as the group advanced. The troop consisted of 6 members of the Chancellery guard all dressed in customary crimson robes, and equipped with standard issue stasers. All of the weapons were pointed warily at the 7th member of the party; their captive. The Time Lord in question was held securely between two of the guards as they frog-marched him swiftly through the corridors.

The man showed no signs of physical ailments as the stony-faced group strode forward; the only outward sign of his emotions was the bitter scowl stretched across his face and the occasional bristle against the guards firm grip. It would only be clear to any that knew this particular Time Lord that the Doctor was absolutely livid.

"Where are you taking me?" He spat gruffly.

After a few seconds of nothing he glared into the faces of the men gripping his arms; his brows shot up in a look of bewilderment as neither man even acknowledged he existed.

"Oh the silent treatment is it? Typical." He muttered bitterly whilst shaking his head. No matter how many years passed he had never managed to get on with his people; how could he with their policy of shoot first ask questions later?

The Doctor refused to give in and remain restrained so he continued trying to get any reaction out of his new friends. "Well I know that this is Gallifrey that much is obvious by the _friendly_ greeting." He tugged on the guard's tight grip roughly to emphasise his point.

As he expected his words were met with nothing but silence and expressionless faces; these guys could give the Beefeater guards outside Buckingham palace a run for their money.

"It's obvious from this architecture that we're in the citadel… hmm who would want to see me here?" He looked from guard to guard for any change in their expressions.

The Doctor sighed uselessly as they remained as expressionless as ever, and the only outward reaction of them even hearing him was their grips tightening on his arms. The entourage turned another corridor and started descending steps; the Doctor had never been in this area of the capitol before and couldn't help but allow his anxiety to get the better of him. The silent guards didn't help ease his apprehension; they were becoming rather unnerving.

Whatever he had been brought here for it was not going to be good news; they hadn't taken any chances during his capture. There were no messages requesting his presence back home; there had been no warning at all before he found his TARDIS spinning out of control and caught in the Time Lord's grasp.

With a huff of frustration the Doctor dug his heels into the floor and went lax in his captors arms; he slipped himself quickly from their grip and turned to face the men head on; nostrils flaring with barely contained rage. He noted the staser guns all coming up to aim at his face and the shocked look on the 2 that had lost hold of him. The Doctor felt a small spark of satisfaction that they had underestimated him.

"Right I've had just about enough of this." He spat bitterly standing his ground, and not batting an eyelid at the weapons. "You hijack my TARDIS, storm my home, drag me out at gunpoint and refuse to tell me what the hell is going on!"

The leader of the Chancellory guard contingent stepped out in front of his comrades glaring at the Doctor with utter contempt; what on earth had he done to upset this man?

"Turn around and move." He gruffly ordered; the Doctor held the man's gaze, and his stomach fluttered nervously as he recognised the dangerous look. He eyed the man's clenched fists and realised the guard was close to loosing his cool entirely.

"So he speaks…" The Doctor muttered with a triumphant glint in his eye; he had finally managed to crack their silence. "I'm not moving another step until you tell me why I'm here."

The Doctor observed the guard's face twitch in anger, and he stepped closer to the Doctor until he was right in the other's face. The Doctor had faced too much in all of his lives to flinch away from the intimidating stance.

"Move… or I'll make you move."

The Doctor felt his stomach clench tighter; he had seen that look in his foe's faces all across space and time. He would recognise that look anywhere; this guard wanted him _dead._ The question was why? He assessed the situation in front of him and could see no obvious way out; he had 4 guns trained at his chest and would end up stunned in less than a second if he made a run for it. Either that or Mr Cheerful would let leash with the baton he was currently reaching for.

The Doctor sighed in defeat and turned around putting his backs to the guards. "Fine, fine lead on."

He jolted in surprise as a heavy force crashed down upon his shoulder blades; the Doctor felt his legs give way beneath him and he tumbled to the ground with a crash. The Time Lord saw stars when his face collided with the ground and he groaned in surprise. He hadn't expected the guard to lump him when he had his guard down; what had he been thinking turning his back on a man who so clearly wanted to do him harm?

Before the Doctor could attempt to regather his wits he was hauled onto his feet by two iron-clad grips which didn't relinquish when he was vertical again; he swayed for a few moments and it took a few more for his vision to clear entirely. A quick internal scan revealed nothing broken he would just be very bruised in the morning. The guards only gave him a few moments to find his feet before they were all marching forwards again at an increased pace; the Doctor observed the formation had changed since he had been getting acquainted with the floor. There were now two guards in front leading the way, two cutting off the rear not to mention the two hauling him along. They weren't going to give him a chance to pull a stunt like that again.

The Doctor huffed in frustration as the silence stretched on; only being broken by their footsteps and distant rumbling in the far distance. Soon the convoy turned onto a long dim corridor with just a single door situated at the end; this was his destination.

When they reached the door the two guards in front opened them inwardly; the Doctor didn't have much of a chance to peek inside before he found himself flying forwards uncontrollably: the guards had launched him into the room! For the second time in a matter of minutes he found himself colliding painfully with the floor; at least this time he managed to bring his arms up to protect his face from another thump.

He groaned loudly and half expected to be hauled up by his arms again any second; the sound of a slamming door and lock turning informed him why he hadn't been manhandled yet; they had locked him in.

The Doctor rolled over onto his back and swiftly climbed to his feet; he was a lot less shaky this time which was something but he certainly didn't appreciate being thrown around like a rag doll. He raced back towards the door and pounded on it with both fists.

"Hey! Hey! You can't just leave me in here!"

His raving was met with silence. The Doctor placed his ear against the surface and listened intently for any signs of life; he could hear faint muttering outside which informed him his guards weren't gone. Even if he managed to find a way out of this room he would have the trigger-happy men to contend with too.

The Doctor sighed and rested his head against the door tiredly; if he still had his sonic screwdriver then he might have been able to get through but that had been confiscated as soon as he had been dragged out of the TARDIS. What had he done to deserve being hauled to this god-forsaken place? He had been avoiding it like the plague ever since he had witnessed the beginnings of a war; his people had taken things too far and now the entire universe was going to suffer.

He thought back to the events that led up to his current unpleasant predicament. The Doctor had been relaxing in the console room pouring over a good book; coat slung over the armchair and cup of tea in hand. It had been one of the rare occasions that he was actually doing and enjoying something peaceful; the peace hadn't lasted long.

The Doctor almost spilled his tea all over him as numerous wailing and beeping sounds emitted from the console simultaneously. He dashed over to the distressed console with confusion etched onto his features; the TARDIS had been perfectly safe a few seconds ago.

"What is it old girl?" He asked his oldest companion soothingly.

Before he could ascertain the problem he was almost hauled flat on his back as the TARDIS whirled into motion; he had to have an iron-clad grip on the console just to remain upright. The Doctor couldn't help but feel his panic creeping upwards; the TARDIS didn't just fly itself something was very wrong.

The Doctor grabbed the terminal and scanned over the readouts at an impossible speed; he began muttering to himself as his lightening-quick brain started to understand the problem. He had been caught in a time scoop which could mean only one thing.

"The Time Lords…" He whispered sourly.

The Doctor tried everything in his power to reverse the effects; he tried to reestablish flight control, and he attempted to use the power from a passing galaxy's supernova but nothing worked. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't pull his TARDIS free from the pull of the time scoop. It wasn't long before he and the TARDIS reached their intended destination and he experienced a rather rough re-materialisation; this time the Doctor didn't manage to catch himself.

The Time Lord groaned as he crashed into the ground and listened as the warning sounds died out with a whine. When he opened his eyes he found the console room had lost power; the only dim light source emitted from the emergency power. The TARDIS wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon.

The Doctor jumped to his feet and began flicking switches without any success; the TARDIS was dead. Suddenly the doors flew open and the Doctor realised he was not alone; an entire squadron of the Chancellory guard barrelled in and headed straight towards their target.

"What on earth is this all about?" The Doctor indignantly queried.

The guards completely ignored his words and strode forward to grab their prize; The Doctor's attempted action to scamper away was quashed when stasers aimed at him buzzing with electricity. The men proceeded to drag the Time Lord out of his home without another word.

The Doctor was brought out of his musings as the recollection came to an end. He turned his back on the guarded door and began to survey his new surroundings; there had to be something he could use to find a way out. The room was larger than he expected but mostly empty; the only items present were a long elegant table surrounded by high-backed official-looking chairs positioned exactly in the centre of his prison.

As cell's went this was rather new. The space certainly had a gloomy atmosphere but it's primary function quite obviously was not imprisonment; this was a meeting room. The Doctor sauntered over to the handsome table and marvelled at the thick layer of dust his finger picked up; this room hadn't been occupied in a _very_ long time.

He sighed loudly to himself and began to check the surrounding walls for any chance of exit; he knew the capitol buildings were littered with hidden tunnels. The Doctor had only just started his search when a heavy scuffle began on the other side of the door; the Time Lord sprinted back towards the interruption just as said door flew open and a bundle of black was thrown in unceremoniously.

The Doctor stopped in his tracks and felt his stomach clench painfully as a nasty thought flew into his mind; it couldn't be him could it?

"You incompetent buffoons!" The bundle of limbs screamed in the general direction of the door.

Yes it was definitely him.

The Doctor stumbled backwards a few paces without even realising what he was doing; his body was reacting to the threat that had just stumbled into his life yet again; the Master. He schooled his features as best he could when he observed the Master pick himself up and brush dust off of his suit; the other Time Lord either hadn't noticed him yet or just wasn't acknowledging his presence.

A million thoughts shot through his mind at the latest development and he had to admit he was flabbergasted; the last person he had expected to come through those doors was the Master. What on earth were the Time Lord's playing at? The thought did cross his mind that the Master could in fact be behind his own imprisonment; he wouldn't put it past the other man to try and fool the Doctor by inserting himself into his prisoner's cell. Even as the Doctor thought about the plan he couldn't help but feel that wasn't what was going on; this didn't feel like the Master's usual style.

 _'Time to face the music.'_ He muttered inwardly as he prepared to engage with his life-long nemesis.

"What in the hell are you doing here?"

The Doctor noted the Master's shoulders tense as he learned the identity of his cell-mate; the evil Time Lord turned around slowly until both men were facing one another. From the look of surprise on the other's face the Doctor was almost sure that the Master knew no more than him about this. That meant someone else was pulling the strings…

"You!" The Master spat viscously. "You're behind this?!"

The suited Time Lord started forward aggressively forcing the Doctor to move backwards frantically in an attempt to get the considerable table between the two foes; the Master evidently had come to the wrong conclusion with his rage clouding his judgment. The Doctor felt sorry for the poor souls that had been charged in capturing the Master; the other Time Lord was deadly when cornered.

"Don't be stupid! I was thrown in here just as you were. Do you think I would put myself in a room with you willingly?" The doctor babbled quickly hoping to get through the Master's enraged haze.

The Master stopped in his tracks at the foot of the table as he finally thought the problem through; the man wasn't stupid but when he was angered the Doctor noted he often acted on pure emotion. The Doctor felt himself release a breath he hadn't even realised he was holding as his enemy's stance loosened and something flickered over the other man's face; he was probably as in the dark about this whole mess as the Doctor was.

"What are you doing here then Doctor?" The silky dangerous tone still held a heavy of dose of suspicion.

"I don't know. One minute I was in my console room and the next thing I knew I was caught in a time scoop. I was dragged out and dumped here with no information about what this whole spectacle is."

By the time the Doctor finished he realised the Master had dismissed the idea of his involvement; he could tell by the Master's reaction that this was exactly how he had been brought here too. The Doctor eyed his enemy warily as he started doing precisely what the Doctor had just moments ago; checking the structure for any weak points. The Doctor was no fool just because the Master seemed less hostile didn't mean he was any safer. In fact it was most likely the opposite; a calm Master was far more dangerous than an emotionally charged one.

"No other exits…" The Master mused as he stalked around the edges of the room.

"And there are guards on the other side of that door." The Doctor added helpfully.

The Master dashed back towards said door and pressed his ear up against the surface. "5 men."

"What does it matter? Even if we could get through that lock they have stasers."

The Master glared at the Doctor as if he had just offended him personally. "Guns don't make very good weapons in close combat." The Master smirked at the thought.

The Doctor shook his head at his foe; he had never met anyone who enjoyed violence as much as the Master.

"I wouldn't know." He allowed his distaste for the Master's methods taint his voice.

His enemy noticed immediately and climbed down from the entrance steps; his smirk now directed firmly at the Doctor, and his head cocked with interest.

"Wouldn't you?"

The Doctor ignored the implications unwilling to rise to the bait; he would not allow the Master to goad him. Instead he broke the eye contact and started to move around the table.

"Well we're on Gallifrey and it's evident the only people who could snatch the both of us from the vortex are the Time Lord's…"

"Obviously." The Master snapped impatiently.

The Doctor threw his new companion a withering look before continuing. "The question is who brought us here and why."

The Doctor's head snapped round to the Master as the other Time Lord began cackling madly; for a moment the Doctor thought he had made a mistake and the Master was about to reveal himself to be the mastermind of all of this.

"Why?" The Master managed to choke out. "It's obvious _why_ we've been brought to Gallifrey Doctor; the whom hardly makes a difference."

The Doctor's attempts to keep his frustration off his features obviously failed as the Master's cheshire grin grew exponentially.

"Oh this is brilliant. The great Doctor doesn't know something I know!" The Time Lord was positively beaming with the news.

The Doctor lost his patience abruptly. "Just tell me!"

The reaction only served to make things worst; the Master broke out in a full fit of laughter and leaned on the head seat to keep himself upright. The Doctor's mood grew darker by the second as his enemy withheld the information he needed; he hated being in this position with the Master; it was humiliating.

"Oh look at you!" The Master was interrupted by another fit of giggles. "All worked up… You just can't stand not knowing can you?"

The Master finally pulled himself together but a faint smile still remained over his victory. "We've been called home for the war Doctor."

The Doctor felt his entire body stiffen and grow cold; the faint gnawing in his stomach turned into a full blown ache and his hearts constricted painfully. It was a few seconds before he remembered to breath again. He realised he had completely frozen and his reaction hadn't gone unnoticed. The Master's brow rose inquisitively at his foe's reaction; he clearly hadn't been expecting to see the Doctor so shocked by the news.

"The war." The Doctor managed to stammer out as he finally got words past his tongue; he hadn't allowed himself to even think of this possibility. He realised it was stupid to think he could outrun the blasted thing; that didn't change the fact he wanted nothing to do with it.

The Master smiled sweetly and spoke to the Doctor as if he were speaking to a small child; mockingly. "Yes Doctor the war. You know: death, destruction, good against evil. Just the sort of thing you go in for."

"I will not fight in a war." The Doctor snapped hotly. His absolute resolution stunned even him; the thought of being apart of such barbarism brought bile to his throat.

The Master looked genuinely puzzled for a moment and looked the Doctor up and down as if re-evaluating his foe. "Well this _is_ a surprise. This is what you _do_ Doctor."

"It's not who I am!" The Doctor roared. "I won't do it."

The Doctor felt his fists clench and sought to control his temper; it would do no good losing his cool with this man of all people.

The Master however continued to stir the pot. "Oh Doctor, Doctor. What have you been doing since you stole that antique TARDIS of yours; since you first landed on Skaro."

The Doctor whipped his head round towards his enemy barely keeping a check on his rage; when had the Master moved closer to him? He knew what his foe was doing he was messing with his mind and it appeared to be working.

"It wasn't planned; none of it was planned!"

The Master grinned wickedly and continued to move closer to the Doctor; he imitated the Doctor's voice. "Look at me I'm not fighting a war! While you battle the Daleks all the way through space and time. The Doctor doth protest too much me thinks."

The Doctor stood his ground against the rapidly approaching Time Lord; emotions clouding his judgement.

"I never asked to be part of it. They're the ones who attack, invade, destroy; what else can I do but stop them."

The Master was just a foot away when he stopped advancing; stupid smirk still plastered to his face. "Is that your excuse? They started it? No you can't help yourself."

He leaned forward into the Doctor's personal space and lowered his voice to barely more than a whisper. "Not fighting a war don't make me laugh. Doctor you're a one man army."

The Doctor remained silent and studied his enemy warily; he could see by the triumphant glint in the Time Lord's eye that the Master was _toying_ with him and he had let him. He refused to comment or acknowledge the Master's hurtful words, and stepped past the suited man. The Master chuckled quietly as the Doctor passed him; it was just too easy to wind the Doctor up and he knew just exactly which buttons to press.

"That's it Doctor _run away._ "

The Doctor flinched mid-stride and berated himself for showing such an obvious reaction; why was it always the Master that could get him riled like this? _Because he knows you…_ His mind supplied helpfully.

The two Time Lords spent the next few minutes in silence; The Doctor with his ear to the door in an attempt to gather information and the Master sat at one of the chairs with his feet up on the grand table. The Doctor kept a weary eye on his foe's movements fully aware of the danger he was in being trapped in a room with this madman. The Doctor was grateful for the few minutes peace; it allowed him to get control of his emotions and re-strategise a plan of attack. They needed more information.

After hearing nothing more than the guards the Doctor sighed heavily and jumped down from the stairs making a bee-line for the Master; the other Time-Lord didn't even make a move to stand as the Doctor approached he clearly didn't see his enemy as a threat.

"What are you doing here?"

The Master's brows furrowed in confusion, hands clasped behind his hand.

"I told you…"

The Doctor interrupted. "No I mean in this room; with me."

The Master's expression shifted immediately in understanding and he swung his legs off the table to stand. The Doctor had peaked his attention.

"Ah… Now that is an interesting question." The Master mused dangerously.

"I've been thinking about it and it doesn't make any sense; why leave us in here together. The Time Lords know our history." The Doctor rambled as he paced in front of the centre-piece.

"Quite." The Master replied in an amused tone. "Perhaps they wished to see some entertainment."

The Doctor stopped in his tracks at the remark with confusion sprawled across his features; had the Master finally taken leave of all of his senses. "Entertainment?"

The Master nodded happily immensely pleased with his idea. "Yes entertainment." The sudden drop of his tone had the Doctor on edge immediately; he knew that voice.

The hairs erected all over his body and he felt his heart-rate increase involuntarily; at his stunned silence the Master continued on with his suggestion.

"Perhaps they threw us in here to see how long it would take for us to _murder_ one another." The manic glint in the Master's eye was back, and the Time Lord pushed himself away from the table to stand in front of the Doctor.

"I don't think that's it." The Doctor replied cooly carefully eyeing his enemy's body language for any sign of aggression. The Master stood tall and looked powerful as he squared up to the Doctor; he was truly in his element.

"Oh I don't know…" The Master cocked his head to the side rather like a snake preparing to strike. "I think it could be fun." A smile tugged at the Time Lord's lips at the thought. "Just like old times…"

The Doctor fought to stay calm outwardly; inside his body was a mess of reactions. His mind was screaming at him to run but he knew there was no where _to_ run. The only option he had, as unpleasant as it was, was to stand his ground.

"You don't have any weapons." The Doctor reminded his nemesis quickly.

The Master's smile widened as he answered in a silkily dangerous voice; never once breaking eye contact with the Doctor. "Oh… I don't need weapons I assure you."

The Doctor felt his stomach clench tightly as the implications became clear and a thousand violent images played through his mind; he honestly didn't know who would come out on top if the Master decided to strike but he wouldn't bet on himself. The Master was a bonafide murderer.

The tension in the room was palpable as both men stood their ground; the silence was deafening. The Doctor schooled himself for what he was about to do watching carefully for any movement from his foe; taking a deep breath he broke eye contact and walked away with a quickened step. He half expected to be grabbed or struck from behind and was completely shocked when he made it one of the chairs unmolested. He plopped down in the seat and finally allowed himself to look at the man he had just turned his back on; that had been a very dangerous move and it seemed the only reason he was still standing was because of the Master's shock at his action.

The Master's body trembled fiercely and his voice shook with rage. "How dare you turn your back on me."

The Doctor responded by kicking his feet up on the table nonchalantly just as the Master had; his outward appearance was far calmer than he felt inside. Inside he was a nervous wreck.

"I'm not playing your games Master." He cooly replied.

The Master's eyes almost bulged out of his skull and he began blustering. "This isn't a game!"

The Doctor smirked at the sight; the tables had turned and now he was making the Master uncomfortable.

"Of course it is. You're a spoiled child; you have to get what you want or everyone suffers."

The Master seemed to regain control of his motor controls as he stalked dangerously closer to the Doctor's seated position; his hands clenching at his sides and a feral snarl on his lips. The Doctor remained seated but adjusted his position incase he had to scamper quickly; as much as he wanted to remain outwardly calm it was becoming harder and harder to do so.

"How dare you…" The Time Lord spat cruelly.

The Doctor laughed at the Master's indignation. "You haven't changed one bit. You're still a sadistic child pulling the wings off flies."

The Master's eyes blazed furiously; the Doctor realised he had pushed too far as they flared dangerously with fire. In a blur of movement the Master launched himself towards the Doctor's seated position bowling over numerous seats in the process.

The Doctor was on his feet in a matter of seconds and moved to defend himself; the Master reached his prey with a snarl and grabbed a hold of the Doctor's shirt. The Doctor almost lost his balance with the force behind his enemy's attack, but he just about managed to keep himself from being hurled backwards onto the table. He grunted and took a hold of the Master's suit to steady himself and try and keep the snapping beast at bay.

"Stop!" A booming alien voice echoed off the tall walls.

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 **A/N - There should be 2 more parts to this most likely.**

 **Until next time...**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N - Here's part 2! Enjoy :)**

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The Doctor and the Master kept their eyes locked on one another and noted the other's mirror confusion; they had been so preoccupied with each other that neither had heard anyone enter the room. Keeping their hands gripped on the other they both glanced around guardedly and observed the new occupants; the grappling pair were surrounded on all sides by members of the Chancellory guard armed with stasers and at the entrance stood the high council of Gallifrey.

Seeing that the only other option was to be stunned, the Master released his grip on the Doctor with a grunt and shoved his enemy far away from him; suddenly disgusted that they were so close. The Doctor caught himself easily and remained in a defensive position until the Master backed off to a safe distance; his heart's rocketed against his ribcage as the adrenaline raced throughout his body. That had been close; too close.

The guards indicated for the Doctor to move to the other side of the table with their staser rifles. He moved quickly away from the Master without another word; his muscles still tense and shirt ruffled from the previous scuffle. The Master scowled at the guards who attempted to guide him to a seat and then proceeded to choose his own; the Doctor seated himself directly opposite the psychotic Time Lord all the while never averting his gaze from the man; The Master was a ticking time bomb.

The Doctor's attention reluctantly turned to the new entrants as they began to fill in and occupy the other seats around the ancient table. The approaching Time Lords were all dressed up in the usual Gallifreyan garb; crimson robes flowing elegantly all the way to the floor and golden headpieces towering high above their heads. The Doctor rolled his eyes at the pomposity of it all; he had never been one for all this tradition.

All of the Council members gave him and the Master a wide berth to seat themselves at the opposite end; the Doctor noted their stern gazes as they passed. He faced frontward to see that the Master hadn't been intrigued by the Council members at all; the other Time Lord was still glaring directly into the Doctor's eyes. The Doctor struggled to retain eye contact as he recognised the madness and insanity in his old friend's eyes; he was still lost in a fit of rage and was clearly outraged he had been denied his chance of violence.

"Please stand for the Lord President."

The spell was broken as both the Doctor and Master's face showed signs of confusion for a split second, and they both reluctantly broke eye contact to face the door; so it was the president who was behind their rough calling back. The confusing matter was that Romana would never do something like this in a million years, that had to mean something must have happened with Romana's presidency… The Doctor felt his gut clench as the possibilities raced through his mind at a million miles per minute; worryingly the majority of the outcomes did not bode well for Romana or the Doctor.

He was abruptly pulled from his anxious musings as he felt a prod in his back from the guard and realised they were waiting for him and the Master to rise. With a grimace and scowl simultaneously stuck to his face the Doctor relented to the guards wishes. The entire chamber fell silent as the President of Gallifrey graced the occupants with his presence.

The powerful Time Lord purposefully marched into the room as his dark judgemental eyes scoured over each of the occupants; the Doctor met the newcomer's gaze and strangely felt a spark of recognition for a handful of seconds. He had never met this Time Lord before and yet he felt oddly familiar. The President broke off his glare to stare straight ahead as he passed behind the Master and Council members to reach the head of the table.

The President was dressed in blood crimson robes that were so lengthly they brushed the floor; the lapels and sleeves were embroidered in a golden colour with ancient Gallifreyan language. The President wore a head piece similar to the Council members except his had beautiful and intricate designs engraved into the golden metal; the darkened swirls were also written in the ancient language of the Time Lord's and looked just as striking. Attached firmly over his left hand sat a silver gauntlet, it almost looked like a metal glove, the Doctor didn't recognise the device but he doubted it was worn for show.

The Time Lord stood tall and mighty as he stared at each of the table's occupants in turn until they all averted their eyes away from his gaze; all except the Doctor and the Master. Funnily the action caused a slight smile to tug at the elder Time Lord's lips. The President broke eye contact and took his seat causing a ripple effect for the rest of the occupants; the Doctor caught the Master's gaze as he followed suit and read his old friend easily; the other Time Lord had switched his violent intentions to the newcomer for now.

"Doctor, Master." The President greeted the two renegade Time Lords in a bitter tone.

The Doctor couldn't shake the niggling feeling that this particular Time Lord felt familiar; he couldn't place it no matter how hard he thought about it. There was nothing for it he would have to play into this man's power play.

"You seem to have us at a disadvantage…" The Doctor drawled; deliberately leaving out the title before adding with a cheeky smile. "…Lord President."

The President's features screwed up in disdain for a second before a controlled calmness overtook him once more, and he responded with a sly glint in his eye. "I am Rassilon, Lord President of Gallifrey."

The smile was ripped right from the Doctor's face. He felt his respiratory bypass system kick in as impossibly the Doctor forgot how to breathe; his face fell and he fought the desperate urge to run with all of his might. One of the founder's of the Time Lord Civilisation was sitting no more than a couple of metres from him; this man had engineered the transduction barrier, had brought the eye of Harmony to Gallifrey, invented TARDIS' and mapped out all of creation. It was a surreal feeling seeing the infamous Time Lord in the flesh; the Doctor had come across ghosts and rumours in all of his lives but the real Rassilon was a first. The Council had evidently sought fit to resurrect the ancient leader in time of war; the Doctor realised the action was probably due to Rassilon's rumoured ruthlessness and experience with war.

Many Time Lord's on Gallifrey were under the belief that Rassilon was the sole creator of the Time Lord way of life; the Doctor was amongst the others who knew Omega was just as responsible as Rassilon was. Omega was the Time Lord the Doctor had always looked up to. There was still a great deal of mystery surrounding Omega's demise but it didn't take a giant leap of logic to believe Rassilon was behind it; people did not cross Rassilon and live to tell the tale.

"How is this possible?" The Master queried seemingly in awe over the possibilities this could mean; immortality.

"I was resurrected in the same way you were." Rassilon answered the Master in a bored tone; much like a teacher to an annoying student. He turned to the Doctor and the glint returned to his gaze; interest peaked. "From your expression Doctor it seems you had not heard rumours of my existence."

"No…"

Rassilon dipped his head and smirked which had the Doctor on guard immediately. "You have heard of the war though surely?"

"Yes." The Doctor replied bitterly through gritted teeth; he really wanted to avoid this but it was beginning to look like he wouldn't be able to. There was no running away from this one.

"Yes…" Rassilon growled his body language and tone growing more aggressive with every syllable. "…And yet we have to drag you back kicking and screaming to your _own_ people. After all we have given you."

The Doctor clenched his fists together tightly in an attempt to reign control of his own temper; he refused to lower himself to Rassilon's level he knew the other man was attempting to get a rise out of him. He spat back exactly what he thought of the Time Lord's accusations.

"You have given me nothing, I owe _my_ people nothing. This is an unjust war that is already killing millions of innocents but you don't care about that as long as the Time Lords live!" As hard as the Doctor tried to control his temper he couldn't help but yell louder with each word, the war and everything it stood for filled him with a loathing he hadn't known he could feel.

Rassilon's face fell with every word; his features morphing into disdain and disgust towards his fellow Time Lord. The President was not used to such open defiance when being spoken to; the Doctor was proving to be even more rebellious than his reputation indicated.

"Unjust? You know nothing about this war Doctor; you wouldn't be up their on your moral high ground if you did. We demanded you return and you ignored us!" Rassilon roared to a stony silent room. It was as if the Doctor and Rassilon were the only ones present; the Council members were frozen in fear and the Master seemed to be enjoying the show.

"So you hijack _my_ TARDIS and treat me like a common prisoner just because I said no to you? You have more of a power complex than I imagined."

"Enough!" Rassilon thundered powerfully before visibly checking himself; he hadn't handled anyone who could get him genuinely angry in quite some time. "When I call on a Time Lord I expect them to respond, and that TARDIS you traipse around in does not belong to you Doctor. It is the property of Gallifrey."

"Oh so that's the angle here, stolen property?" The Doctor mocked as his face morphed into shock at how childish the Time Lord's could be. "I've been piloting _that_ TARDIS for over 700 years. You have no right to abduct people against their will Rassilon; no matter who you are!"

"I have every right!" Rassilon could not stay seated a moment longer; the insult was one step too far. The President jumped to his feet abruptly, shifting the grand table a few inches as he did so, and boomed. "I am your President!"

The Doctor's face showed his aversion and lack of respect for the man standing before him; he was not a President he would have chosen: a warmonger. Not many had earned the Doctor's contempt in all the galaxy only the truly evil beings; the beings that simply did not care what their actions would do to others. Rassilon was one of the few.

"You are not _my_ President." The Doctor responded quietly.

Rassilon's expression turned stormy and the Doctor realised he had just touched a nerve, and perhaps taken things a step too far. The room was eerily silent as the two Time Lords held their ground and gaze; the Doctor had seen madness and rage in all his years but what he briefly glimpsed in Rassilon's eyes actually caused his heart's to race faster. The terrifying thing was he did not know this man he had just denounced; he did not know what he was capable of and as usual had spoken before thinking. It didn't detract from the fact that the statement was true as this man had not and would never earn his loyalty.

The Doctor felt his heart's slam against his ribcage as the silence was drawn out, only being interrupted by a few hushed whispers from the other occupants; the Doctor realised Rassilon had most definitely not experienced such open disobedience to his rule. Everyone else was too afraid of him; not that the Doctor was blaming them he would have to be a fool to not feel scared; he was at this man's mercy after all. The Doctor's gaze fell to Rassilon's arm as he noted the slight twitching movement of the gauntlet; Rassilon was actually having trouble resisting the urge to _kill_ him.

 _'Maybe I did go too far…'_ The Doctor mused; unable to draw his gaze away from the weapon. He was now sure that the gauntlet was at the very least damaging and most likely fatal; Rassilon was clearly as murderous as history suggested.

"Well… this was definitely worth getting out of bed this morning for!" The Master interrupted the lull unhelpfully in a sing-song voice.

The Master's words broke the spell and snapped the two out of their reverie's. The Doctor blinked in surprise and he realised just how involved and preoccupied he had become; he had completely lost track of time and had stopped watching the Master. Evidently his mind had calculated Rassilon equalled or even exceeded the threat the Master posed.

Rassilon too recomposed himself and made a visible effort to shake off the effects of the Doctor's words; he was not a man who liked to lose control in front of an audience and he almost had. He turned his wrath on the other renegade in the room, whilst a fake smile forced itself on his face.

"What about you Master… Why did you ignore the callback."

The Master leant back in his seat looking comfortable and laid back; a grin spread across his face as the attention was turned to him. The Doctor rolled his eyes at his old friend; he was always happiest when he was the centre of attention.

"I don't answer to you." The Master purred with a stupid grin still plastered to his face.

Rassilon's right hand twitched in response to the disobedience; the Doctor didn't miss the minute action and by the look of the Master's grin widening neither had the other Time Lord. The Doctor wanted to hold his head in his hands. The Master had a front row seat to how Rassilon reacted to this kind of behaviour, and yet he _still_ wanted to push the President's buttons. It was all a game to the Master.

With visible effort Rassilon controlled the tone of his response and leaned forward in an supposedly intimidating posture."You were resurrected to answer to me; that is your purpose."

The Master's eyebrows shot up abruptly and he burst out laughing. "What do you think you can _bully_ me into being your puppet? Ha! Do you even know who you're talking to? You're best off trying again with the Doctor he has on occasion done the Time Lord's bidding."

The Doctor listened to his adversary's rantings intently whilst simultaneously watching Rassilon's reactions; the President's mood was becoming more infuriated with every word and the Doctor was wary to how _unpredictable_ Rassilon could be. Neither of them knew how this little get-together would end. The Doctor groaned inwardly as the Master tried to goad him back into an argument; his old friend knew he could not stay silent at such a jibe.

"I do nobody's bidding." The Doctor muttered darkly.

The Master grinned triumphantly at hooking his catch; the Doctor was powerless to ignore the slander and the Master knew that. He was playing him just as he always did.

"Oh Doctor, Doctor… You really don't see it do you? You're the Time Lord's lapdog! How many times have you come running when they call?"

The Master was positively beaming and chuckled madly; it was like he had come to life after a sustained silence. The Time Lord had been moping since he had been denied the chance to inflict violence upon the Doctor; but now he was back in his element as he continued their previous assault verbally.

"I didn't come running this time…" The Doctor spat. He knew his attempt to claw any ground back was a pitiful one; the Master had successfully pressed his buttons _again._

"No…" Rassilon interrupted the quarrelling pair and cruelly twisted the knife. "When your people finally need your help you turn your back on them."

The Doctor did not fall into the guilt trip; not this time. "You don't need my help to _kill_ , you seem to be handling that quite well all by yourself…"

"Always the dramatic one…" The Master muttered; effectively interrupting the Doctor mid-sentence. The Doctor threw his long-time adversary one of his famous glares.

Rassilon snarled in response ignoring the Master's words entirely; his focus was purely fixed upon the Doctor. "I know your history Doctor; the renegade who ran away from home, the man who has never stopped _running._ Would you really run from this war when you are called upon? Could you? With all those dying innocents screaming out for their saviour the Doctor."

The Doctor clenched his fists painfully tight as he listened to Rassilon's speech; he knew what the other Time Lord was attempting to do and was having none of it. "Don't try and guilt trip me you don't care about the innocents you never have; they're just the little people to you. This _great_ war of yours has already spun out across the cosmos; countless worlds destroyed because of senseless actions here. You are responsible for every innocent death Rassilon; every day you wage this war is another day you condemn children to hell."

The Doctor took a deep breath and closed his eyes tightly shut for a moment; he had lost control of his emotions and needed a moment to compose himself. The Doctor had always been affected most when the stakes were so high; there was a reason why he was so passionate about life.

He opened his eyes and met Rassilon's unwavering fiery stare; the other Time Lord was growing more resentful with every breath the Doctor took. "Genocide as collateral damage. I won't accept that I cannot be part of it, I won't countenance death on that scale."

The Master scoffed loudly and butted in with an outraged tone. "You won't countenance. Who do you think you are Doctor? Judge, Jury and executioner?"

The Doctor turned on his friend in a reflection of the Master's own outrage; why did his enemy always have to hijack a conversation and make the Doctor out to be the bad guy.

"Why should others suffer because of us! Time Lords are supposed to be the overseers of the universe and now we're sacrificing whoever we can just to stay alive for a little longer; what have we become?"

He directed the last question to the entire chamber looking at each Council member in turn; and not one of them could meet his judgemental gaze only Rassilon did not look away. The President had a sly smile plastered on his face and if the Doctor didn't know better he would have thought Rassilon was acknowledging the Doctor's question; perhaps he was and perhaps he was like the Master. Did Rassilon really not care and was he willing to sacrifice everything for the sake of the Time Lords? The Doctor was drawn away from the troubling question as the Master refused to let the matter rest.

"Oh please Doctor you know as well as I do that we are superior to all those puny creatures; they wouldn't even be here if it weren't for us so why shouldn't we sacrifice them."

This argument was as almost as old as their friendship; the Master and the Doctor disagreed other many things but this was the reason that truly drove them apart. The Master really did not care for others; his god complex rivalled any the Doctor had ever experienced and he had met the most evil souls in the galaxy; the Master lacked the very thing that the Doctor could not forgive: compassion.

"You know that's exactly how a Dalek would think." The Doctor stated wistfully; his point proven. He looked to the entire room once more and directed his next question to all occupants; harsh but true words spilling out before he could really stop himself. "You want to know why I won't fight for my people? Maybe because you don't deserve my help. Both of you are as bad as one another…"

* * *

 **A/N - The next part should be up some time tomorrow**

 **Until next time...**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N - This is the final part for this story! Enjoy :)**

* * *

"Enough!" Rassilon's powerful voice boomed; echoing off of the ancient walls. One glance informed the Doctor that his harsh truths had stirred some of the Council members; cracks were appearing in Rassilon's leadership and the Doctor knew the Time Lord would not be happy about his interference. He was right, Rassilon was positively livid.

The President realised he needed to reassert his authority in front of the high leaders of Gallifrey; the Doctor mused that perhaps next time the Time Lord would think twice before dragging him in here like this. The Doctor was not cooperative against such diversity under the best of circumstances let alone after the treatment he had received.

Rassilon finally spoke as the whispers died out. "When you are in these halls you will show the order of the Time Lord's some respect."

"Not likely." The Master groaned in a bored tone; he had been denied yet another chance to attack the Doctor and it was clearly starting to get to him.

The Doctor frowned at the Master's childish behaviour; a thought suddenly struck him and he couldn't understand why he hadn't asked the question sooner.

"The thing I don't understand is why is _he_ here?" He tilted his head towards the Master whilst directing his question to Rassilon.

The Master's body language showed his interest was peaked; they had both allowed their personal conflict to interfere with finding out the whole truth of their presence here. "Yes as entertaining as this is I do believe there has been some mistake."

Rassilon smirked harshly. "There has been no mistake Master. You are one of the most ruthless and evil Time Lord's in the order; a perfect weapon for war."

 _'It takes one to know one.'_ The Doctor thought inwardly.

His distaste of glorifying such heinous traits shone from his face; the conversation was starting to turn his stomach. It was all very well talking about evil when you were not facing it and the consequences of such an act in person; the Doctor had been unfortunate enough in all of his lives to witness the most corrupt villain's in all the universe. The story was always the same; good could never be born from evil. Evil only spawned death and destruction.

"You must be joking?" The Doctor laughed grimly. "You want to let him loose in this war? You might as well just kill yourselves now."

The Master threw the Doctor a predatory smile. There was a familiar glint in the maniac's eye; the Doctor recognised it well and felt his heart's clench painfully. He was looking straight into the Master's madness and longing desire for destruction and domination; it would not be long before the feeling consumed his old friend entirely. The Doctor knew when that happened there would be very little chance of stopping him; as mad as the Master was it was no secret that the Time Lord was a genius. What a waste that his brilliant mind could not be used for good; the things they could have accomplished together… The Doctor would give anything for his enemy to be different to not be consumed by such lunacy and frenzy; if the Master was not so obsessed with _owning_ the universe maybe they could have seen the stars together.

The Doctor looked away wistfully as the useless fantasy shrivelled away to ashes. He chided himself for fantasising about what could have been; the illusion could not and would not ever come to pass. That fact alone brought more grief to the Doctor than he could have imagined; it was almost as powerful as the moment he had first turned his back on the Master; when he witnessed signs of evil already breaking through. The Doctor knew then that their friendship was over; they were destined to walk different paths; they were destined to be the other's mirror.

The Doctor was brought out of his reverie by Rassilon's powerful demand. "Explain."

The Doctor refused to look at the Master and spoke directly to Rassilon. He allowed the rage and grief he had just felt fuel his rant. "That _monster_ is the most selfish, psychotic, maddest, murderous being I have ever met. He has the mind and the will to take your army, turn it against you, and wage war across the universe, the Master is interested in one thing and one thing only. Universal domination." He finished his speech and locked eyes with the Master; the Time Lord looked somewhat amused and the Doctor recognised another emotion with disgust: pride.

"What little old me?" The Master sang in a child-like voice; he paused and suddenly his face was veiled with mock hurt. "I'm surprised by your hostility Doctor; we were friends once."

The Doctor didn't allow himself to show any outward response to the Master's words but inwardly he was mildly shocked; honestly it was as if at times the Master could read his thoughts. The Master had only mentioned their past on a handful of occasions. It couldn't be just coincidence that the Time Lord decided to bring up their old friendship as the Doctor has just been pained by the thought of it.

Thankfully he found his voice and it was far steadier than it had any right to be. "Once, but I outgrew you."

The Master's mock distress started to transform into actual outrage. "You, you outgrew me? No look at me Doctor no-one tells me what to do, I do as I please."

 _'And that is just one of the many reason's why I left you behind.'_ The Doctor contemplated.

"Children do as they please because they don't know any better, but to do as you please when you have our power… That's when irresponsibility tips into evil we have to follow rules so people don't get hurt."

The Master chuckled happily. "But I enjoy hurting people."

 _'Which is why we can never be on the same side; why we can never be friends.'_

The Doctor heard the sincerity of the Master's words; the Time Lord wasn't just saying these words to make his adversary feel uncomfortable. He believed every word; this was the real truth and those five simple words explained so much about the Master that no others ever could. The Master was the perfect definition of a psychopath.

"When you are quite finished gentlemen." Rassilon interrupted in an impatient tone. "Do you really expect me to trust such a dramatic response Doctor?"

The Doctor scoffed in response. "Please… I've barely even started. There are heinous acts the Master has concocted that you couldn't imagine in your wildest dreams."

The Master beamed at the words; the Council members seemed to shift in their seats unconsciously moving away from the dangerous Time Lord; the Doctor almost snorted at the action. The Council as usual had no stomach for the details but they were more than willing to _use_ the Master's evil for their own gain.

Rassilon growled at each of the timid Council members. "We are well aware of what he is capable of which is why he will fight for us."

The Master's mood grew sour as he picked up on the President's words; fight _for_ the Time Lords not with them. He replied with a tight smile; evidently struggling to reign in the fragile control of his temper.

"I'm flattered by all the attention really but as the Doctor has pointed out repeatedly; I do no man's bidding. I am the Master."

The Time Lord spoke the last words in a sinister tone with no wisp of humour remaining; his glare was intense and seemingly devoid of emotion. The Doctor knew his old friend better than that; the Master was inwardly roaring in fury.

Rassilon's own expression mirrored the Master's. "I think you'll find that title means very little here Koschei."

 _'Now he's done it.'_ The Doctor muttered to himself in a panicked tone; rule number one never call the Master by that name it was a very fast route to becoming one of the man's victims. The guards recognised the complete change in atmosphere and wisely targeted the Master's back.

The Master froze completely. His mouth hung open agape at the open disrespect; the Doctor hadn't seen his enemy this caught off guard in quite some time. He imagined the last time the Master had been called that name was in their academy days. The Doctor was sure if the guards weren't aiming their stasers at him the Master would have launched himself at Rassilon. The Master was regaining use of his speech and started to splutter an outraged response; the Doctor saw fit to interrupt before the situation got anymore out of hand.

"Rassilon, why are we here together?"

Rassilon ripped his triumphant gaze from the Master hesitantly to refocus on the Doctor, and allowed a hint of genuine puzzlement slip onto his features. "I thought that would be obvious… We wanted you two to work together."

The Doctor's mind went blank; every formulation and plan he had been thinking about stalled and crashed to a halt. From the Master's pathetic spluttering and coughing he knew he had not just imagined Rassilon utter those words. The Doctor had underestimated his captor's insanity evidently.

"Excuse me?" The Doctor managed to string the words together with no help from his incoherent mind.

The Master too found his voice almost at the same time and sounded as equally shocked and aggrieved by the thought. It was as if the whole notion had offended him personally; which on reflection the Doctor reflected it probably had.

"Work together? Work with him?" The Master pointed a finger angrily across the table; his face screwed up with disgust over the very idea. The Doctor would be lying if he said the thought didn't repulse him also.

Rassilon cocked his head inquisitively; somehow the President hadn't foreseen this level of aversion to his suggestion. Like the Doctor had said; Rassilon was out of his mind. "You have worked together in the past…"

"If you could call it that." The Doctor spluttered darkly interrupting Rassilon's flow, the President pretended that the Doctor had never spoken and picked up where he left off.

"…We believed your history together would be the foundation for a good working relationship."

Rassilon was making a habit of this; both the Doctor and the Master were again utterly speechless. The feeling was akin to having the air knocked out of oneself; it was certainly just as unpleasant. The Doctor was once again quicker at finding his words; he really abhorred being on the back foot in an interrogation.

"Our history together?" The Doctor felt himself grow exasperated as he remembered each of the times he and the Master had been forced together, and winced inwardly from the echoes of the pain the Time Lord had inflicted upon him each time. "You are aware that he has spent almost his entire life trying to murder me. Not to mention…"

And yet you are still here." Rassilon interrupted the Doctor before he could babble on about all the times the Master had betrayed him.

Being interrupted mid-stream threw the Doctor off again; all he could manage was a confused two words as his brain struggled to calculate where Rassilon was taking this conversation. "I'm sorry…"

Rassilon grinned victoriously at the Doctor's confusion and directed his next words to both of the renegades. "You say the Master has spent his entire life trying to kill you and yet you are still alive; what does that tell you?"

The Doctor had never felt so stupid in his entire life; he hadn't been this lost for words and outtalked since his academy days. He hated it. "Well I…" He could come up with nothing; from the Master's stunned silence it was evident he could not either.

Rassilon waited for either Time Lord to come to the realisation that he had and rolled his eyes at the shocked faces; he put the pair out of their misery with an observation that a child could see. "He doesn't really want too."

A deathly stillness encompassed the ancient chamber as Rassilon's words sunk in; the Doctor couldn't help but feel a flicker of hope spark inside him. He wanted so desperately to grip and cling to Rassilon's words and believe it to be true; could it be true that the Master did not want him dead? The truth was that the answer was far more complicated than that; the Doctor doubted that the Master even knew himself what he truly desired.

The Master huffed in frustration and responded in a defending tone. He just couldn't handle anyone believing he was any less evil than his reputation demanded. "Now wait just a minute… Incase you had forgotten; if you lot hadn't waltzed in here then the Doctor would be lying in a pool of his own blood right about now."

The Doctor wasn't so sure it would be exactly as the Master said; Rassilon's earlier words still resounded in his mind. _'He doesn't really want to kill you.'_ Perhaps he just enjoyed the act; he would feel lost if the Doctor wasn't around anymore as an adversary.

Rassilon smiled knowingly. "You were left alone for 5 whole minutes and you did nothing; if we had left it longer there would have been no murder."

"Oh believe me there still can be." The Master responded coldly; the Doctor felt a shiver pass through his bones as he recognised the deadly tone.

The Master tensed visibly causing the guards to readjust their grip on their weapons, and all focus solely on the unpredictable renegade. The Master looked ready to lash out at any moment viciously; like a snake uncoiling to strike. Rassilon regarded the furious Time Lord silently whilst his mocking expression had long since been eradicated off his face; he could recognise a serious threat when he saw one. The Doctor quickly interrupted the exchange before it could derail into chaos; the last thing he wanted was to be caught in the cross fire of a gun fight.

"Hang on… so you knew our history and yet you still locked me in an unguarded room with a maniac that has urges to kill me!"

Rassilon dragged his intense deathly glare from the Master's own poisonous gaze with visible effort, and answered in a bored tone. "We did."

The Doctor flashed one of his famous smiles; this one didn't reach his eyes. He understood exactly why he was placed in here with the Master alone; he was no fool. "Anyone would think you wanted me dead."

Rassilon smiled slyly but said nothing it was no matter he didn't need to; his eyes shone with the truth. The manic glint proved the Doctor's initial theory. The President knew he would cause trouble and would rather be rid of him than have to deal with him; the Doctor was used to such treatment in his lives but this was rare from one of his own people.

"Oh I think he does…" The Master sang in a puerile manner.

"Yes thank you." The Doctor snapped at the Time Lord opposite; he did not appreciate being made to look like a fool.

The Master rolled his eyes dramatically and cheekily added. "Well you can be slow on the uptake sometimes Doctor."

The Doctor declined to rise to the Master's bait; he must be having a very good day with all the digs he'd managed to pull on the Doctor. He glared at the Master's triumphant face and just about resisted the urge to retaliate when his adversary's smirk widened.

"See you already have a good relationship." Rassilon chuckled sinisterly.

The smirk was ripped straight off the Master's face and the Time Lord returned his violent thoughts to the President. The Doctor had had just about enough of this lunacy; it was clear this little meeting was going absolutely nowhere.

"This is madness. I will never fight in your war and with the Master no less?" The Doctor laughed mockingly at the very thought before growing very quiet. "You're insane."

Rassilon's own smile fled as the insult hit; the Time Lord was just as volatile as the Master. When all was going swimmingly he enjoyed causing others pain, but if anyone dared to taunt or disgrace him then they faced the full wrath of the Time Lord. The occupants of the room waited with bated breath as their President's mood grew fowler and his gaze grew stormier.

"I could make you." Rassilon growled threateningly; his metal gauntlet shaking under the strain of his fury.

The Doctor held the enraged Time Lord's fierce glare refusing to shrink under the intensity and power the elder man emitted. He had faced down worse in his lifetime; the Doctor did not relish the idea of finding out exactly what that gauntlet did but he would never turn his back on his morals and principles just so he could live.

The Doctor folded his arms across his chest nonchalantly and responded in an equally dark tone. "You really couldn't."

He could feel his hearts thumping faster against his arms but refused to let on about his growing anxiety levels to the room; he was surprised had managed to hold up this strong facade for so long when inside he was little more than a nervous wreck, but thankfully his determination continued to fuel his struggle. How had he gotten himself into such a situation? He was once again at the mercy of the most powerful man in the room, and was under no illusion that Rassilon was more than capable of carrying out his threat.

Rassilon held the Doctor's gaze for what felt like hours when in reality it must have only been 30 seconds; the Doctor could almost see the cogs turning in the Time Lord's mind. The President was deciding his fate. The Doctor saw the moment Rassilon has come to a decision and waited on bated breath like the rest of the room for the verdict; he attempted to remain stony and non-caring outwardly but a tremor started to run through his hand. The Doctor scrunched up the appendage and shoved it out of sight before the weakness was pounced upon.

Rassilon finally broke the silence. "Perhaps one day we'll find out…" The Doctor's gut clenched at the words; he acknowledged the threat and it's seriousness. Rassilon held the Doctor's determined stare for another beat before breaking away. "…But not today, guards the Doctor is to be released. Please escort him to his TARDIS and see he leaves Gallifrey safely."

The Doctor let out a breath he hadn't even realised he was holding; at some point during their exchange he had evidently forgotten to breathe and his respiratory bypass must have kicked in. He was honestly stunned by the sudden change in Rassilon; the hostility the man had felt all seemed to flee at once. The Doctor honestly thought he had met his end; he thought he would never be leaving this place.

"You're letting me leave?" He squeaked astonished; his body was still prepared for a flight or fight reaction and he felt the excess adrenaline race through his veins at super speed.

Rassilon didn't even look at the Doctor as he replied in a bored tone; suddenly the papers in front of the President were very interesting to the Time Lord. "I do not want cowards fighting in my war Doctor; you have turned your back on your own people."

The Doctor's mouth opened and closed without any words coming out; he imagined he looked ridiculous and rather like a fish out of water. One glance at the Master confirmed he wasn't the only one left shell-shocked by the President's change of heart; the other Time Lord looked genuinely dismayed that violence was now off the table. The Doctor decided not to respond to Rassilon's jibe about his seemingly traitorous decision; he had his reasons and they would remain private to him.

He looked down and placed his hand's upon the smooth surface preparing to get up, but he still half expected to be hit by Rassilon's gauntlet at any second. "Next time you want a _chat_ give me a call; no need to go to all this trouble."

Rassilon lifted his eyes from the papers to stare directly at the Doctor. He did not speak but the Doctor got the message quite clearly; there would be a next time and he would not be given any more warning. The Doctor gulped at the threat; he would have to start making some modifications to the TARDIS… The last thing he wanted was to be at Rassilon's mercy and dragged back into this war; if that time ever came he doubted he would ever leave Gallifrey again.

The Doctor didn't intend to stick around and overstay his welcome; Rassilon struck him as someone who could easily change their mind. He stood and started to head towards the appealing exit.

"Doctor." Rassilon only had to utter one word for the Doctor to stop in his tracks entirely; had the man already changed his mind? The Doctor stopped and faced the President. "One way or another you will return to Gallifrey before this war is out."

The Doctor interpreted the veiled threat almost instantaneously; perfect understanding passed between the two Time Lords. The Doctor felt the hairs stand erect on the back of his neck;

he would have to fight harder and run faster than he ever had to keep out of Rassilon's vengeful clutches.

"We'll see." The Doctor responded cooly not at all feeling as confident as his voice sounded.

The Doctor spared one more glance at the maniac before turning his back on Rassilon and the whole bizarre proceeding; he distantly heard the Master clear his throat but continued intently onwards towards the now open set of doors.

"Well that's my cue to leave." The Master declared quickly; clearly in a hurry to catch up with the Doctor. He rose from his seat hastily and went to make a beeline towards the exit.

"Guards." Before the Master could take two steps he was fighting off limbs that were attempting to restrain him; he was physically strong when heated but the Master was sorely outnumbered. It wasn't long before the guards held him securely between their grips.

"Get your hands off me!" He roared sharply.

The Doctor spun round at the sound of the commotion; he hadn't heard the Master say anything threatening as far as he was aware the other Time Lord was intent on following the Doctor.

"What's happening?" He asked already distressed by the manic look in Rassilon's eye; it was directed squarely at the Master.

"This doesn't concern you Doctor. You have made the same mistake to _run away_ ; now run before you cannot."

The Doctor almost stumbled back under the intensity of Rassilon's rage; all of the man's attention was now upon the Master. The Doctor knew it was foolish to not carry on walking straight out of the doors whilst he still could but his feet stayed rooted to the ground; in his hearts he knew this was not right. He glanced at the Master who was still struggling aggressively against his captors and he felt his gut clench painfully; he couldn't just walk away could he?

"This isn't right." The Doctor finally managed to stammer out; he couldn't formulate words all of a sudden.

"He was re-born for this very purpose Doctor; it is time he finally lives up to his potential." Rassilon was now standing and stalking towards his captured prey; it was like watching a child with a shiny new toy.

The Master attempted to rip his arms away again and roared back at Rassilon; unleashing the inner rage and madness that lived within. "I will do no such thing. If you don't release me this instant I will destroy you; your stupid Council, and this whole planet!"

"Such anger…" Rassilon reached the Master's position and inspected the Time Lord with an inquisitive gaze. "You will make a good warrior."

The Doctor stepped forward instinctively as he witnessed his old friend in trouble; he knew the Master would never stand up like this for him but he could not help but feel like this. It was in his nature to care. He was brought up short as several Chancellory guards blocked the path between him and the Master; who was the Doctor kidding he could not help the Master even if he wanted to. There were a dozen armed men in the room who would stun him before he even thought about taking another step.

The Master stopped trying to wrench his arms free as he took in Rassilon's words. "I will not fight for you!" He muttered bitterly.

Rassilon smiled wickedly. "Yes you will and every time you die you will be reborn until this war is done."

A genuine flicker of fear flashed over the Master's face and the Doctor felt his heart's clench painfully in response. No-one deserved such a grisly and eternal fate; not even someone as villainous as the Master.

"Rassilon…" The Doctor spoke carefully.

Rassilon didn't let him say another word; he interrupted the Doctor fiercely bringing up his gauntlet menacingly. "You have made your choice Doctor! Now leave before I change my mind over your fate." His temper abated as he observed the Doctor's inner war. He glanced between the two Time Lords and chuckled darkly. "The two renegade Time Lords, did you know you're almost as well-known as me these days? The famous sons of Gallifrey, look at you now…"

The Doctor glanced at the Master and caught the other's eye; he saw such desperation in those dark depths; more than he ever thought were possible. The Master was _begging_ him to help. The Doctor took in the room with a critical sweep and came to the same conclusion; there was no way he _could_ help even if he decided to. Perhaps the universe would be safer if the Master wasn't causing havoc out in it; he was debating about rescuing a mass murderer after all.

As the Doctor stared into his oldest enemy's frantic gaze he saw all of the Master's most heinous crimes flash through his mind; endless civilisation's destroyed, countless innocents murdered. The Master would burn an entire world just to watch the flames. The Doctor had to make a choice between saving the universe from the Master or saving the Master from an eternity of agony and death. It was the hardest decision he had ever made and yet it took the Doctor less than a second to choose. He turned his back.

"Doctor…" The Master stammered in utter shock.

The Doctor took a deep breath and steadied his emotions before starting his excruciating walk towards the exit; every step he took felt like he was stabbing his old friend through the chest and it _hurt._

"Doctor please!" The Master screamed hysterically.

The Doctor froze mid-stride just shy of the steps leading up to the grand door; something in the Master's desperation had reached a part of him he thought he had locked away for good. His heart's felt like they were going to break in two and beat right out of his chest; this was killing him and he couldn't understand completely why. He closed his eyes and asked himself if this was the right choice; it seemed like an impossible one and he was sure whichever side he had chosen he would be asking himself this very question. Perhaps there wasn't a right answer this time.

More images flashed through his mind of faces of the Master's victims; people who never did anything wrong except being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He remembered all of the pain and misery caused by the Master, and the times he had tried to pick up the pieces after his adversary's destruction moved on. The man was like a hurricane destroying all in it's path and zooming off without a care for the death and agony he left behind. The Doctor thought back to all of his encounters with the Master; all the way back to when the Master lost the last remnant of good within him forever. No matter how many chances the Doctor had given his old friend he had always ended up stabbing him in the back and innocent souls always got caught in the crossfire.

The Master could not be unleashed on the universe it was almost broken beyond repair; already screaming out in pain. The Doctor felt a tear threatening to escape and wiped it away fiercely; he opened his eyes decision made and pressed onwards. The shouts grew in volume and hatred as the Master realised the Doctor had made up his mind; he wasn't coming back.

"Doctor! Doctor you can't do this to me!" The Master exclaimed.

The Doctor's pace quickened as he crossed the threshold and felt guards fall in behind him; he heard the Master's yelling grow more frenzied and imagined the thrashing and banging sounds were the Master's final desperate attempts to get out of his captor's claws. The Doctor drove himself onwards one heavy step at a time and stifled back a choking sound; he could barely live with himself.

"Doctor I won't forget this!"

A dozen memories flashed through the Doctor's mind as he tried to drown out the Master's desperate appeals; he revisited times long past and times he thought had long since been locked away in the deepest recess' of his mind. The Doctor sprinted through pastures of red grass with Koschei by his side laughing; they ran all day long calling up at the sky. He relived the first time he ever saw the citadel sat between the towering mountains with his best friend standing proudly by his side; they had just enrolled in the Time Lord Academy together. Memories flashed faster and faster as the Master's screams grew louder, and the Doctor felt more tears threaten to breach his eyes.

He watched he and Koschei grow up and learn about the universe together. The Doctor and the Master's friendship flourished at the academy; for years they seemed to have everything in common. They challenged the norm; went against traditions and both dreamed of a larger life travelling the stars. They even made a pact to explore every star in the universe together.

He was brought out of his musings of simpler times by a particularly powerful burst of emotion slamming into his mind; the Master had reached out with every part of himself in a final effort to change the Doctor's mind. The Doctor had never hated himself more as he slammed up his mental shields and shoved the Master ruthlessly out into the dark; he felt his heart's break in two finally at the desperation and pleading he felt.

"Doctor, I will never forgive you for this!"

The Doctor had reached the end of the corridor by the time the Master shouted his final words. It would not have mattered if the Time Lord had whispered it; the Doctor would have still heard and felt the all too painful truth. He was glad the guards could not see his face as he allowed the prickly tears to fall freely down his cheeks; he was no longer thinking of the atrocities the Master had committed he was grieving for the friend that he had lost; something he had never allowed himself to do before due to the pain involved. He may have just signed the Master's death warrant; he effectively had by turning his back on him.

He heard the chamber's doors finally close with a resounding thud effectively cutting off the nosies within; it was far too late the Doctor would never get the Master's pleas out of his head. Hot tears continued to roll down his cheeks and he reminisced of what could have been; they could have seen the stars together like they were meant to. They _should_ have.

The Doctor whispered his final words to himself knowing that the person who really needed to hear them never would. "Neither will I."

 ** _Finis_**


End file.
